For a cardiac pacemaker, functional implant life time is, in part, determined by the energy delivered per pulse. The pacemaker will have a longer life if the energy delivered per pulse can be maintained at a minimum. The design of an implantable pacing lead which is used with the pacemaker is influenced by the electrical signal required for pacing stimulation. Preferably, a key design objective for a pacing lead should be the maximization of stimulation energy with minimum battery current drain over the life of the pacemaker. These objectives therefor require considerations of the lead's electrode design, geometry, and pacing threshold minimization.
Generally, pacing leads have utilized electrically conductive metals such as a platinum, platinum-iridium, or carbon composition for the tip electrode. Physiologically, a cardiac pacemaker must be capable of generating a signal with a sufficient magnitude to depolarize the excitable cells of the myocardium to initiate contraction. The electrode shape, size, surface nature, and material; the body fluid or electrolyte conductivity; and the distance separating the electrode and the excitable cardiac tissue, combine to determine the energy required of the pacemaker. Thus, the main factors to be considered with regard to the design of an implantable pacing lead are: shape, size, surface nature, materials, fixation of the electrode, and the cardiac tissue reaction.
The pacing or stimulation threshold is a reflection of the energy required for a pulse to initiate and maintain consistent cardiac contractions. When a lead is implanted, the stimulation threshold generally is at a relatively low level and then rises for a period of a few weeks after the implant of the lead. The typical rise in the threshold has been believed to be a result of an increase in the spacing between the electrode and the excitable cardiac tissue. It is generally believed that the spacing increase occurs primarily due to the inflammatory response and the subsequent development of a fibrous capsule around the electrode tip.
One factor which influences the development of the fibrous capsule is the constant beating of the heart, which causes the electrode to pound against the endocardium, causing irritation. Additionally, any rough surface structure of the electrode tip may be abrasive on the abutting tissue, causing still further irritation. The irritation of the endocardial tissue, as well as the patient's natural foreign body reaction to the presence of the electrode, results in the initiation of the inflammatory response and the subsequent fibrous capsule to develop and increase in thickness as an attempt by the body to wall-off the foreign material. Thus, thickness of the fibrous capsule is also dependent upon the geometry, materials, and structure of the electrode tip, and the foreign body reaction process.
In order to counter, delay or suppress the occurrence of the inflammatory response and therefore the growth of the fibrous capsule, pacing leads have been developed which include a drug or steroid-eluting tip electrode structure. Examples of these types of leads include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,606,118 (Cannon et al.); 4,711,251 (Stokes); 4,844,099 (Skalsky et al.) and 4,953,564 (Berthelsen). These patents generally detail implantable leads which include a reservoir which is located typically within the tip electrode structure proximate to the distal tip electrode. The drugs are dispensed usually through a porous media of the tip electrode. Typically, the drug is intended to counter thrombus formation, fibrosis, inflammation, or arrhythmias, or any combination thereof.
As alternative designs, the U.S. Pat. No. 4,711,251 depicts a sintered electrode material having a high surface area on which the drug to be dispensed is deposited in a solid form as a coating. A solid composite material including the drug may also be employed to form the sheath and/or the tines of the electrode is also disclosed. In either of these alternative designs, the coating or composite is fixed in a solid form, i.e., they have a fixed geometry. In this configuration, the solid materials will not act as lubricants between the metallic electrode and the endocardial tissue.
While these designs for pacing leads attempt to reduce and delay the inflammatory response and the growth of the fibrous capsule, their effectiveness leaves much to be desired. In view of the above characteristics of an electrode for a cardiac pacemaker, minimal tissue reaction is desired around the tip, but high electrical coupling of the electrode to the tissue is essential. An electrode for a pacing lead which satisfies both of these criteria, and which also has the ability to deliver specific drugs to the endocardial tissue, is therefor highly desirable.